This fascinating creature was discovered in 1998 off the coast of Sulawesi in Indonesia on the bottom of a muddy river mouth. For the next 2 years, scientists filmed nine different mimic octopuses, Thaumoctopus mimicus (Norman & Hochberg, 2005), impersonating sea snakes, lionfish, and flatfish—a strategy used to avoid predators. The mimic octopus reaches about 60 cm long, and is typically brown and white striped.
The mimic octopus has been observed shifting between impersonations as it crosses the ocean floor to return to its burrow.
Read more, watch more at MarineBio.org
Originally via Dark Roast Blend.
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